Pranked
by MermaidMidna
Summary: It's senior year and life seems to be going great for Derek and Casey... But when an unexpected twist of events leads to them working together, will one prank change everything?
1. Prologue

**AN: This idea came to me out of nowhere, and what do you know, I have 10,000 words written in less than two days. This story is practically finished, so I can update really quickly, and I will definitely do so if I get some good feedback and people want to see more! Please let me know what you think! I am so excited to share this with you guys. **

**Takes place after junior year at the start of senior year. Slightly AU. Sally has left for college already and Casey has met Truman, but harbours no romantic feelings for him. Casey and Derek are both single. How I **_**wish**_** Life with Derek could have gone. ;)**

* * *

_Prologue_

"Happy Prank Day to me!"

September rolls around and it's senior year. This means more pranks, more partying, and more days off of school due to… 'illnesses.' I am determined to make this the best year of my life. I have already managed to set off the fire alarm without being caught _and _take over the homecoming pep rally. Next? Well, to do what I do best – annoy my overly dramatic stepsister.

On a Monday I pretend that I'm sick, and when Casey takes The Prince I gather up all of her undergarments from her dresser and get Sam to give me a ride to school.

While everyone is having a dandy old time in homeroom, I line all of the locks on each locker with Casey's bras and panties. I wait outside Casey's classroom, waiting for the bell to ring and leaning against the wall to examine my handy-work. As I predict correctly, she's the first one to walk out, and I run over to her, hastily grabbing her arm and temporarily distracting her from my prank.

"Ugh, Derek. What do you want?" she asks, hoisting her purse further up on her shoulder. "Wait… I thought you stayed home sick!"

"I feel well enough to be at school." I say. "I figured I shouldn't miss a day unless it's absolutely necessary."

She stares at me. "Well… that was rather responsible of you. I'm proud."

People are starting to notice the new 'decorations,' and there are many shouts and bursts of laughter around us. Casey looks over her shoulder at one boy holding up her pink bra by the strap.

"What the-" she says. "Why is Nate holding a bra? Hey, that looks like the one I own." Her face turns red as she realizes I'm still listening to her talk. I hold back a laugh. "Not that you… ever needed to know that." She walks down the hallway, heading to her locker. I follow a ways behind her, watching her stare confusedly at people holding up various undergarments, some of the girls making disgusted faces and screaming 'ew!' The guys' reaction is even funnier… I start to chuckle.

She finally makes it to her locker and sees that a pair of undies are hanging there as well. "Oh, that is just-" She picks the underwear up and examines them. _Oh god_, I'm about to die of laughter. "These are _mine."_ she says slowly, coming to a realization. "That bra was _mine!_ All of these are-"

And then she sees me staring at her and laughing and she clenches her jaw, her eyes narrowing. _Uh oh._

"DER-EK!"

She charges at me, and I take off in the opposite direction like lightning. I didn't quite anticipate her anger. I weave past the other students, my heart racing, not knowing if Casey is still following, but not _daring_ to look back in case she does catch up to me. She's fast for a girl.

I almost make it to the boy's bathroom where I can hide, but as I rush to my destination, I feel my feet slip out from under me, and I land on my butt… right at my English teacher's feet.

I find the culprit of my fall, extracting a silky black bra from under my bum. Someone must have dropped it haphazardly in the hallway. I silently curse this unknown person and get up, trying to look innocent.

"Hello Mr. Riverson, sir." I say, smiling as he glares at me. "I was just-"

"Der-ek!" _Oh, come on!_ Casey approaches me, rage on her face as she holds up her orange panties, waving them in my face angrily."I cannot _believe _you did this! Out of all the disrespectful, horrible, disgusting, mortifying-" She stops short as she notices Riverson standing there, an appalled look on his face.

"What have you two gotten into _this_ time?" he asks, shaking his head in disbelief.

Casey and I start yelling our explanations at the same time.

"It wasn't me, it was _Derek!"_

"Well, Casey called me at home and said she had this emergency-"

"He stole all my… personal things and decided to hang them all over the school!"

"And she needed some extra undergarments because she had a _little_ accident."

"And I just _know_ it was him, because no one else has access to that sort of stuff!"

"But I didn't know which pair of undies she wanted, and normally girls like to match their bras and panties,"

"Plus he was laughing hysterically, like the total _jerk _that he is, and when I started yelling at him, he started running, so that's a pretty clear sign!"

"So I just brought all of them for her so she would have a nice selection, but she didn't seem to appreciate the favour!"

Mr. Riverson holds up his hands for us to stop. It's then that I see Lassiter coming down the hall, and just when I thought things couldn't get _any_ worse…

"What's going on here?" our principal asks, looking dismayed at what Casey and I are holding. I notice the hallway has been cleared of all other students as well, meaning we're both late to first period.

"It appears Derek brought some of Casey's um… things to school and decided to decorate the hallway with them, and she's not very happy about it." Riverson explains before Casey or I can speak.

Lassiter raises his hands to his face and starts to massage his temples. "I _really_ don't want to deal with this today."

_Then let me go free!_ I think, crossing my fingers for luck.

"You know what, sir? I'll deal with them. You just go relax for once." Riverson speaks up, and I groan inwardly. Oh well, better than dealing with Lassiter… hopefully.

Lassiter nods in thanks and heads off to his office, giving me a threatening look. I grin cheesily, shrugging my shoulders.

Riverson starts giving orders as soon as he's gone. "Alright. Casey, Derek, you two clear up this… erm… mess and I'll write you a pass to your next class. You both _better_ be on time to my class today. I'll sort the rest of this problem out then. I'll be in my room when you're done."

He turns on his heel and walks away, and Casey and I are left alone. As soon as Riverson is out of ear and eye sight, Casey starts whipping me with her panties at me like a madwoman.

"HOW – COULD – YOU – DO THAT?" she says between hits, and I cower in fear, not because it hurts, but because she's beating me with her _underwear!_

She huffs, finally stopping and crossing her arms, scowling at me. "I knew you were a terrible person, but this is the lowest of lows, Derek Venturi!"

"Lighten up, Case!" I say, still holding out my hands in case she decides to strike again. "No one knows they were yours! And look on the bright side – even if they _do_ know, I'm sure you'll be getting a lot more phone numbers for dates now."

I wink at her, and she gives me a disgusted face, hitting me once more with her underwear. "You are _infuriating."_

"And _you_ are a…" I pause, holding up her bra that I'm still holding to check the tag. "Size 34 C… not bad!"

"UGH!" she screams, and I run down the hall laughing as she chases after me.

* * *

"Casey, good to see you." Mr. Riverson says as I take a seat in his class during third period. "Did your first period teacher accept the pass I wrote for you?"

"Yes, thank you." I respond, but it doesn't come out very grateful as I remember the incident from earlier. "I see my _barbarian_ of a stepbrother isn't here yet." I add, pursing my lips.

"No, he's usually the last person anyway." Mr. Riverson says, chuckling.

At that moment Derek rushes into the room right as the late bell rings. "Woo!" he shouts, raising his arms in the air. "Not tardy!" He takes a seat next to me, and I wrinkle my nose.

"Cutting it a little close, aren't you?" I ask sternly.

"I don't know what you're talking about." he says, throwing his backpack under his chair and grabbing a pencil and crinkled up piece of paper from his pocket. He attempts to smooth it out on his desk. "See, I'm totally prepared."

"Oh brother."

"Oh _step_brother, you mean."

I open my mouth to retaliate, but then Mr. Riverson speaks, addressing the class. "Alright, everyone, I have new assignment for you – a project." Everyone groans and mumbles complaints, except for me, of course. I sit up straight and prepare myself to take notes. "And you can thank Derek and Casey for inspiring me this morning."

I sink back down into my chair as everyone looks at me with angry expressions.

"Now don't attack them before I explain what we're going to do!" Mr. Riverson protests. "Your assignment will be…" My fingers scribble furiously, recording his words. "To formulate a prank and perform it at school." I stop writing and look up to stare at my teacher.

"You've _got _to be kidding me." I say as Derek yells "YES," pumping his fist in the air.

"Now there are a few rules, of course." our teacher continues_. I like rules. Rules are good._ "You can't do any harm to school property or to students. That means things like setting off rockets, or starting a mosh pit during lunch, or graffiti-ing the school are off limits." A few kids laugh. "And this will be a partner project."

At the mention of 'partners,' the whole class goes haywire. I look round wildly for Emily and our eyes meet. We both smile, silently choosing each other for this project. I turn back around and see _Truman_ winking at me.

"As if." I say under my breath, my nostrils flaring.

"Whoa, whoa, before you get _too_ excited here, I should let you know that _I_ will be choosing your partner." Mr. Riverson says, and everyone lets out a yell of frustration.

"When I call your names, come up and get an assignment paper from my desk." He ignores our disappointment and grabs a sheet of paper, seemingly the one with partner names on it.

"Emily Davis and Maria Molchetti." My heart sinks in my chest. Well, Emily is out of the picture.

Mr. Riverson continues to call out names, and all the while I'm chanting _please not Truman_ over and over again in my head.

"Truman French and Donovan Thomas." I breathe out a sigh of relief, until I look to my left and see Derek still sitting there without an assignment paper. There are only about four people left without partners, and I realize…

"Casey McDonald and Derek Venturi."

* * *

**AN: The assignment will be explained in full clarity next chapter! Please review if you have the time!**


	2. The Prank

_Chapter 1 - The Prank_

That night I look over the assignment for English class. _Try to be original and put some serious thought into this. Don't announce your prank to anyone besides your partner until the assignment is over. I want a typed essay, 500-800 words about your prank and how it affected you. I want you to harness your creative skills for the good, not the bad. You don't have to mortify or harm someone else in order to make your prank awesome._

"Psh." I roll my eyes at Mr. Riverson's sentiments. He only added that last sentence because of me._ He only came up with this assignment because of me. _

I look at the bottom of the paper and see his handwritten note scribbled to me. _I can't just let you off the hook for your prank this morning, Derek. Principal Lassiter will want to see that you've done the time for the crime, so I'm giving you a week's worth of lunch detention starting next Monday. You can have the first half of lunch to yourself, but I expect to see you in my room after you eat. Please try not to kill Casey as you're working on this assignment together. –Mr. R_

I sigh, leaning back against my pillows and closing my eyes. Casey. How am I going to work with _Casey,_ the keener of all keeners on this assignment? True, that little stunt she played with Lassiter's furniture when he first arrived at the school had a stroke of genius to it, but she is not going to agree with anything _I_ try to come up with.

I figure now's as good a time as any to confront her about this whole thing. The sooner, the better, right? I spring up out of my bed and make my way to her room.

"Knock, knock!" I pound on her door and then open it without waiting for a response. She's sitting at her desk pouring over some books that look incredibly nerdy and difficult. "Sup, Case?"

She spins around and looks at me furiously. "Well, I was trying to study, if you must know, but I assume you're here to talk to me about something school related, so I will show you mercy and not kick you out this time."

"Like I would talk to you otherwise." I mutter and then raise my voice, trying to act chipper about this whole situation. "Mr. Riverson must have a death wish for pairing us up, huh?"

"Why prolong the pain, Derek? Just spit out your idea, I'll make sure it's not too violent or inappropriate, and then we can go on our merry way."

"I don't plan on doing this assignment half-assed." I say, plopping down on her bed. The mattress creaks and she gives me a glare. I don't know if it is directed at my swearing, or my butt occupying the place where she sleeps.

"What do you mean?" she asks, scooting closer to me in that stupid wheely desk chair of hers. _Oh_, so it was an I-have-no-clue-what-you're-talking-about glare!

"I _mean_ this is my turf, my skill, my passion! I am not going to fail an assignment that requires me to prank someone. That would be…"

"Paradoxical?" she suggests, raising one eyebrow.

"Well, I was going to say 'lame,' but that works too!" I say, winking. She rolls her eyes. Good god. I can never warm her up.

"So what do you plan on doing?" she inquires, leaning back and getting a pad of paper and pen from her desk.

Now it's _my_ turn to roll my eyes. I take the pen and paper from her hands and toss them over my shoulder, which takes way more effort than I wish to use, considering she's holding onto her precious note-taking materials for _dear life._

"Casey, we don't need those things, okay?" I explain calmly and slowly so she'll understand. Her nostrils flair, presumably because I'm talking to her like she's a two-year-old. "When you prank someone, you don't write down what you're going to do. It makes for some really discoverable evidence, and pranking is all about going with the flow. Sometimes you have to improv, especially if things don't go the right way the first time."

"I should be taking notes on pranking, then!" she says, frantically getting up and rushing over to her notepad and pen on the bed behind me.

"No, no, no!" I say, turning around, grabbing her by the waist, and pushing her back into her chair. Her cheeks turn a brilliant shade of red from the contact. I almost want to laugh. "Just calm down and listen to me. Here's what we're-"

And then it hits me. The perfect prank. All foolish plots of putting ducks in the school toilets or sticking cardboard cutouts of teachers in each room are emptied from my brain as I stare at my stepsister's red cheeks.

"Derek? Derek? Are you okay?" she asks, waving a hand in front of my face. I grab her hand and lace my fingers with hers. She stares at me in apprehension. "What… what are you-"

"I've got it, Case." I interrupt her. "The perfect prank. You'd better get used to this." I hold our hands up, laughing, and then drop her hand, getting up to pace the room as I think.

"Have you gone insane? What on earth are you talking about?" she says, sounding thoroughly confused.

"What is the one thing people will expect least at school? Hmm?" I ask her, trying to see if she can figure out where I'm going and working out my own scheme at the same time.

"Um. Lassiter playing a game of football in the hallway?" she guesses, and although the vision she implants in my head would be rather funny, I'm too busy plotting at the current moment to laugh.

"Even more than that. Come on! Something that involves _us._ Think, keener, think!"

"Psh." she says, pursing her lips. "I don't know. You and me _getting along_ would seem pretty farfetched."

"Exactly!" I say loudly, making her jump. She's even smarter than I thought, having figured that out pretty quickly. "But that won't have a big enough impact - a big enough shock factor."

I finally stop pacing and sit back down on the bed so that I'm at eye-level with her. "Do you know what _will_ be big enough?" I lick my lips and stare into her eyes intensely, trying to communicate to her what I mean.

"I don't know if I like where this is going." she says, inching back a little and looking at me like I'm crazy. "Are you saying…" She raises a finger and points between us, and then folds her hands together.

"I don't know what the hell _this_ means," I say, mimicking her hand gesture, "but you and me, getting together, in a _romantic _sense – that's our prank."

She looks at me with wide eyes, and I wish I could read her expression, but I was never the best at sensing emotion, so why start now? "How is that a prank?" she asks slowly.

"If we can convince all the kids in the school – kids who know we're sworn enemies and absolutely _loathe _each other – then it will be one damn good prank, Case. Trust me. I know what I'm talking about, Miss. 'Remainder Reminder.'"

She seems skeptical, but I can tell her mind is reeling, thinking about this possible plot of mine. "What exactly does this prank imply?" she looks at me curiously, and I smirk, knowing that if she isn't completely opposed to the idea, then I can convince her.

"You know. Normal couple stuff. Holding hands, being overly cheesy with each other - because that's just the kind of person you are, spending all our free time with each other-"

"Kissing?" she cuts me off, looking quizzically at me.

"Well, normally I'm not into PDA, but if we're going to try and convince them, and I mean _really _convince them, then we probably should…" I trail off, noticing her staring at my lips as I talk. "You want to practice or something, Case?" I ask cheekily, and she hastily looks back at my eyes.

"No!" she practically yells, hitting me on the leg. "I'm just thinking… Do you really think we can pull this off? We can't even speak a single word without getting under each other's skin. And you want us to act like a _couple_?"

I sigh, trying to keep my cool. "We just need to get under each other's skin in a _different_ way." I say, and she makes a disgusted look at me. "Try harnessing all your anger towards me and turn it into _love_ instead."

She breathes out, contemplating her answer for a while. "Fine. I cannot believe I'm agreeing to this, but I'll do it." _Yes!_ And Venturi scores!

"Excellent!" I get up and pat her on the head.

"Just… no funny business, okay?" she says uncertainly.

"Fine with me." I make my way towards the door. "I'm going to go practice my acting. It's going to take a lot to make myself less repulsed whenever I'm near you."

"Likewise." she shoots back, turning her desk chair around and resuming her studying of god knows what subject.

"We'll discuss deets in the morning." I say, and I watch her nod before opening her door and making my way back to my room.

I collapse on my bed and let out a giant breath I didn't know I'd been holding. Casey just seems to… suck the air out of any room. I shake that thought from my mind and sink back into my pillows, realizing I am a genius for coming up with a prank that will a) get me an A in Mr. Riverson's class, and b) give me the opportunity to make out with my hot stepsister – something I've admittedly wanted to do for a long time. Ah, life is a beautiful thing when you're Derek Venturi and Casey McDonald is your victim… er, stepsis. I drift off with pleasant dreams of what will come tomorrow.

* * *

"Derek? Derek, wake up! It's nearly half past six!" I beat my stepbrother with a pillow in an attempt to get his lazy rump moving and out of bed.

"What the hell, Case? School doesn't start until _eight_." He groans and rolls over, so I continue my smack down until he faces me. "What are you doing?" He squints his eyes at me, and I sit on his bed, trying a more... um… tactful approach.

"Oh, I'm sorry, baby." I say soothingly, brushing the hair away from his eyes tenderly. "It's just… we have a lot of planning to do, and I knew we would need some time, so I thought I should be the one to wake you up."

"Wha-" He glances up at me with befuddled face, and I pinch his cheeks.

"Aw, you look so cute when you're confused!" He pushes me away, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"Okay, 1) Aunt Muriel and my grandmother are the only people who are allowed to do that!" he yells, and I give him a pouty face, clearly pretending to be hurt. "2) You don't have to start acting like my girlfriend _yet!_ And 3) Stop with that face! You're giving me the creeps."

"I was just practicing." I say defensively, crossing my arms across my chest. "What… what did you think?"

He gives me a dirty look. "Tone it down like fifty notches, and I think we'll be good." He leans against his headboard and massages his temples. "So, how are we going to get together, Princess?"

I stare at him. "I thought _you_ were the one that came up with these brilliant ideas."

"Yes, but _you're_ the romantic one." he counters, and I sigh, climbing over him and sitting next to him.

"What are you doing?" he asks, emphasizing each word as if I just performed the world's worst crime or something…

"Get used to it." I say, echoing his words back to him. "I'm going to be your girlfriend until the end of this assignment, so you just need to suck it up." He groans. "You really aren't a morning person, are you?"

"Of course I'm not." he says, harshly. "Now, get on with your romanticizing." He waves his hand in front of my face, urging me to continue.

"Well, first of all, it would help if you stopped being so mean to me. It's kind of hard to pretend to like you when you're being a total… a-hole."

"Sorry, _darling._" he says, slipping an arm around my shoulders. "Your baby just doesn't like being woken up by pillows being chucked at his beautiful face."

The closeness of his face to mine is a bit unnerving, and I look at my hands, trying to distract myself. "It's okay." I mumble, a little upset with myself for letting his charm get to me. _Focus._ "I was thinking… cafeteria. Lunchtime. We break out into a fight about something stupid."

"Like we always do." he says, and I see him smirking in my peripheral vision.

"Right." I nod. "When the fight escalades, then I can say something along the lines of - 'well, I think you're only fighting with me because you're trying to hide real feelings!' Then you can be something like – 'well, I think you might be right!' And then we can, well… you know. Kiss."

"You mean, attack each other?" he asks, and my cheeks burn, just thinking about it. This conversation I made up seems far too real to me for it to be a prank.

"More or less, yes." I say timidly, my heart racing in my chest as I imagine what is going to happen later on today.

"Good plan, Case. I like it. Not subtle, but not so unrealistic that everyone will suspect us. Also a good time and location. The news of our hook-up will be spread all over the school by the end of the day."

"Glad you're impressed." I say, managing a weak smile. "Now, I'm going to go get ready for school, and you probably should too." I pat his knee and slide out of his bed, making my way to the door.

"See you… see you later." I say, and before he can reply, I'm rushing to the shower.

The car ride over to the school is more than a little awkward, neither of us knowing quite what to say. We avoid each other for the majority of the day, and I feel so sick thinking about what we're attempting later. Before lunch I run to the bathroom, trying not to throw up my whole breakfast. My efforts are wasted, however, and I get to see my lovely protein shake once more. Luckily I have gum in my purse, and I pop it in my mouth, chewing furiously.

When I get to the cafeteria, Derek is waiting for me, an angered look on his face. I sit down next to him. "What took you so long?" he whispers through gritted teeth.

"Chill." I roll my eyes at him. "I had some business to take care of."

"Why do you always have to be so obnoxious?" he raises his voice, and I look at him, offended, before realizing he's already starting our act. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. I didn't realize he would just go right into it!

I take a few deep breaths before starting my charade. "Oh, please, like _I'm_ the obnoxious one!" I yell, and I notice a few heads starting to turn.

"You follow me _everywhere, _like I even want to hang out with a keener like you! Why are you always up in my business, anyway?" I know he's supposed to be faking, but the words bite at me anyway, wondering how much of that he actually believes.

"I've saved your butt on numerous occasions. Maybe I'm just trying to look after you because you're too immature and stupid enough to do so yourself!" I can see the hurt in his eyes as I spit my words back at him, and I'm afraid this is escalading into a real fight…

"Oh yeah?" He stands up and towers over me. "I never asked you to do that! Would it kill you to just butt out every once in a while?"

"Would it kill _you_ to stop fighting with me every once in a while?" I stand up, getting in his face, trying to turn this argument in the direction it was going towards in the first place. More people are looking now. In fact, basically the whole cafeteria is looking now. I can hear whispers coming from every direction. _Just pretend this is another play._

"I thought you were supposed to be the smart one. Did you ever think that maybe I'm only fighting with you because I'm trying to hide my _real_ feelings?" He gets closer, and my breath hitches in my throat. _You can do this, Casey. It's all rehearsed from now on._

"Did _you_ ever think that I annoy you just to get your attention?" _Whoa, where did that come from?_

Derek looks taken-aback for a split second, but then he resumes his stance. "Maybe… maybe I do that too!"

"So what are we going to do about this, Venturi?" I brace myself for the inevitable. It has to be coming soon…

"This, McDonald!" Derek yells, and he takes my face in his hands and crashes his lips into mine hungrily. I'm in shock for a moment, but then I try to make myself relax, and I slip my arms around his neck, standing on tippy-toe to deepen the kiss. There are audible gasps and cat calls as his hands find my waist and I run my fingers through his hair. It's not long before my gum is in _his _mouth, and though the length of the kiss should have sufficed to prove our 'getting together,' neither of us are showing any signs of stopping.

This is the sexiest kiss I've ever experienced. He wasn't lying when he said he was the best kisser ever. Suddenly I feel his hands on my butt, and instead of pulling away, I giggle against his lips. And then he starts to kiss my jawbone and oh-

"Eh hem!"

Derek and I look hazily in the direction of the throat clearing, his hands still resting in a very inappropriate place, my arms still around his neck. It's Lassiter. Oh god.

"This is a cafeteria, _not_ a bedroom!" he shouts, and there are many sniggers among the student body. I step away from Derek, embarrassed, not really sure how our kiss got that out of hand. My head is spinning. "If I _ever_ see any sort of improper public display of affection from you two again, you will be visiting me in my office. Now either get back to eating your lunch, or… go home."

"You're giving us permission to go home?" Derek asks snarkily, a wide grin on his face.

Lassiter scowls. "Well, if you're going to continue what… you were just doing, then yes. I'd prefer if you went home."

"Cool." Derek says, snatching my hand. "Come on, Case. Let's get out of here." He wiggles his eyebrows at me, and before I have time to protest, he's whisking me out of the cafeteria. I can hear whispers of 'oh my god' and several cheers and Derek steers me towards the door.

That's when I see Emily staring at us, her mouth agape. "Casey, what the-"

"Hey, Em!" Derek says enthusiastically, waving at her before dragging me towards the exit.

"I promise I'll explain later, Em!" I yell, but I see her glower and shake her head before Derek pulls me around the corner. Shoot. I didn't even think about how this would affect _Emily_, seeing how she didn't know it was a prank!

Derek and I get in The Prince, and the whole way home he's going on about everyone's reactions - Lassiter's face, James's cat calls, Lucy's 'hot damn.' All the while, I can only think of Emily, and how we're going to get around this issue. Even if she knows it's a prank… she still won't be happy with me for my decision to go along with Derek's idea.

"That was _very_ convincing! Great job, Case." Derek says as we get out of the car. "Now we can let the rumour brew as we chill at home. Awesome that Lassiter let us go." He chuckles and opens the door, heading straight for the kitchen. "Time for some real lunch." I hear him say.

Ugh. Does he have no feelings _at all?_ There was obviously something more in that kiss than some stupid prank, but I figure he'll never acknowledge this fact. Or maybe he was just horny and kept going because…

I throw my jacket on the couch and run upstairs, trying not to cry. My feelings were already complicated, and that kiss… just made things ten times worse.

* * *

**AN: I did not expect so many reviews for the prologue. Wow, you guys really blew me away! I wanted to post this really quickly for you all, so here you go! I'm going to get back to your reviews right away. Thank you so much for all the amazing feedback, and I hope you'll review this chapter as well!**


	3. The Aftermath

**AN: I have never had such amazing reviewers before. You guys make me so happy, you know that? Thank you so incredibly much for all of the feedback. You really make me want to edit and update faster! This chapter is a bit of filler before some real action happens, but I hope you like it nonetheless. Please review if you have the time, and thanks again!**

* * *

_Chapter 2 – The Aftermath_

It's the day after the prank, and I'm walking down the school hallway with a load of books. Lunch is close to ending, and I'm trying to get an early start to math class so that Mrs. Long can explain one of the problems I didn't understand on the homework the night before.

The first half of lunch was incredibly awkward. I sat with Derek, my _boyfriend_, while Sam and Ralph asked us lots of questions about our relationship. Derek answered most of the questions while I just picked at my salad and tried to ignore the feeling of Derek's hand on my waist. Finally, Derek made up some excuse about having to go to the bathroom, and I gratefully ran away to my locker.

Thinking about the previous events of the day, I don't pay attention to what is going on around me, and I end up tripping over someone's feet. My books go flying in the air and I silently curse my klutzilla-ness, shuffling over to my books and picking them up hastily.

"This is a great view. Please stay right where you are when you're done."

I close my eyes as I hear the _one_ voice that I would least like to hear at this point in time. Of all the people in the school that could've tripped me…

I whip my head around and see Truman smirking at me, his back against the lockers, his feet sticking straight out. He gives me a little wave. _Yep, he's the culprit._

"Did you trip me on _purpose?_" I ask, narrowing my eyes at him. I gather up the last of my books and stand up.

"_You're_ the one that wasn't paying attention to what was going on. So I happened to stick out my leg when you walked by, and you happened to lose your footing because of it. What's the big deal?"

"If you could quit stalking me, that would be greatly appreciated, thanks." I say, giving him a phony smile and walking away from him.

"Oh, come on! You know we were starting to get somewhere last year!" He jumps up from his seat on the floor and starts walking by my side, making it harder to avoid him.

"I have a _boyfriend_ now, Truman! You can't just keep harassing me!"

"You have a boyfriend?" Truman asks, starting at me confusedly. "Since when?"

_Of course he would be the only one in the school to not know. He probably had lunch detention or something yesterday._

"Since yesterday." I say simply, brushing him off, but this only makes quicken his pace and walk in front of me. _So annoying!_

"Who?"

"Do you seriously not know?" I say, stopping and giving him a glare. "I'm sure you've at least heard the rumours."

"You mean, you and your stepbrother are actually together?" He gives me a revolted look as if this is the most horrific thing he's ever heard.

"Yes, we are. And I'm very happy with him, in case you were wondering."

Truman leans against the nearest locker and smirks. "Really, Casey? I always knew you liked the bad boy type."

"Excuse me?" I say, taken aback.

"Derek is _just _like me. Can't you see it? Well of course you can. You'd have to be blind not to. Or in denial." He winks at me. _What a pig._

"Derek is _nothing_ like you, Truman." I say angrily. "He doesn't _rate_ girls and tell the entire school their scores. He doesn't get _expelled_ from school. He's a whole heck of a lot less obnoxious than you. And most importantly, he cares about me."

All of the sudden I hear clapping behind me, and I see Derek approaching. My cheeks go red instantly. He slips an arm around my waist and draws me close to his side. Even though I'm incredibly embarrassed at the present moment from Derek hearing my mini-speech, I still want to laugh at Truman's face.

"Nice one, Case." Derek says, pressing his lips to my cheek. I smile, not even having to fake it. Derek then addresses Truman. "I do care about her. A whole hell of a lot. So I would suggest backing off of my girlfriend. Unless you _want _that scrawny butt of yours to be kicked." My heart skips a beat. I've never heard Derek so defensive. I want so badly to believe that it's not pretend.

"Geez, I'll lay off." Truman says quietly, holding his hands up and backing away.

"That's better." Derek says. "Now try multiplying that distance by a few hundred metres."

Truman rolls his eyes, turns around, and walks away.

"Thanks, Der." I say softly, and he extracts his arm from waist to grab my books, which are obviously weighing me down. "He wouldn't leave me alone."

"No problem. I hate that creep just as much as you do." He totters under the weight of my books as we begin walking down the hall to math class. "Jeez, why do you carry all of these around? You have a locker, don't you?"

"Yes, but it's so far away from all of my classes." I take one of the books from him to help out. "If I went to my locker, I would be tardy all of the time."

Derek raises an eyebrow at me. "Then here's a proposition – why don't you share a locker with me? My locker is in a _prime_ location, and you can keep it organized for me. Win-win situation, eh?" He smiles. "It can be a… um… mutualistic relationship!"

"Wow, really?" I ask, making sure he isn't playing some sort of practical joke on me.

He nods at me. "Why would I be offering if I wasn't serious?"

"Thanks, Derek." I say, ignoring his question. "And nice use of a biology term." I laugh as he shrugs nonchalantly. "I'll move into your locker after school… if you're willing to wait for me and give me a ride home, that is."

"Do I have any other choice, babe?" His new nickname for me makes my cheeks burn an even brighter shade of red. "Hey, did you mean all those things you said to Truman? I mean, besides me caring, because we know that's not true."

My stomach does this weird flip-flopping thing. "Yes, I did mean them, Derek." _Though I'm thinking of taking them all back._

"Well then… thanks, Case." He presses a quick kiss to my lips as we arrive at Mrs. Long's class. He puts my books on my desk for me and takes his regular seat. I'm almost too shocked to remember where I sit. But then I hear someone clear their throat, and I snap back to reality. It's just too bad that the person happens to be Emily. _Wow, I'm having the best of luck today._

"You're in the way." Emily says harshly, apparently having seen my little kiss with Derek.

"Sorry, Em." I say quickly, sitting down. She just glares at me. "So now you're going to steal my seat, _too?"_

I don't realize that I'm sitting in _her_ assigned seat until it's too late. I hop over to my seat, biting my lip. The first bell rings indicating there are five minutes until class starts.

"Listen, Emily, I'm really sorry if I hurt your feelings or anything." I say, not knowing how to go about apologizing to her.

"When did you plan on telling me that you were _in love_ with your stepbrother, huh?" she asks, slamming her pre-calculus book down onto her desk before taking a seat.

"I… I didn't even fully realize it until yesterday." I say, spouting out words that, _once again,_ sound too real to be a lie. "I would have told you but-"

"I know I told you that I don't like Derek anymore, but you should know there are always going to be feelings there. I thought you would be sensitive enough not to go after the guy I've had a crush on since… forever!" Emily says heatedly, her voice escalating from a whisper to an almost-yell.

"Like I said, Em, I didn't _go_ _after_ him. It just sort of happened." I try to reason with her.

"Yeah. Right. Like you don't flirt with him all the time. I've ignored your guys' looks and innuendos for a long time, thinking it was nothing. I assumed you wouldn't act on feelings because of not wanting to offend me, not to mention the fact that you're practically siblings, but I guess I shouldn't have put so much trust in you."

"Oh, now you're just being ridiculous!" I say, getting angry. "First of all, we're _step_siblings. There is no blood relation at all! And second of all, I had no intentions of hurting you! You're my best friend. I would never-"

The late bell rings, and I groan as Mrs. Long starts the class.

I am unable to concentrate on anything math related, formulating a better apology and explanation for Emily for when the class ends, but she storms out before I can get a single word in.

* * *

I meet Casey at the end of the day to help her move all of her crap into my locker. I find her leaning with her back against wall with her cell phone in her hand.

"Yo, what's going on?" I ask, holding my arms out. "I thought you were moving in with me. Why aren't you all packed and what-not like your keener-self should be?"

"I confronted Emily, and we had another fight." she says sadly, still not looking up at me.

"Um, so… what are you doing?" I stare at her as she presses some of the buttons on her phone. _Oh no._

"I'm calling her and telling her what's going on. I can't stand my best friend being mad at me, and this stupid prank is messing up everything between us!"

"No, no, no! Not a good idea!" I say, grabbing the phone from her. "No one can know about this, Casey! That defeats the purpose of the whole prank! I didn't even tell Sam or Ralph. They think this is real. Our point is to convince everyone and giving our secret away, well… that would be counterproductive!"

"I can't even tell Paul?" she asks, sticking her bottom lip out a bit.

"No, not even Paul. Not until our two weeks is up and we tell _everyone_ that this was a prank." I say, lifting a finger to her mouth and pushing her lip back in. And then another brilliant idea hits me. This is just an _outstanding _week for me! "Hey! What if we actually persuade Paul that we're together?"

Casey's jaw drops. "No, no way! There is no way we are weaving poor, innocent Paul into this _web of lies_!"

"Oh, come on, Case! I'm sure it will get us bonus points on the assignment! Think about it!" She shakes her head at me and crosses her arms. "He knows you best, and I bet you anything he can tell when you're lying. We have to give this a try! It will be one of our greatest feats yet!"

She sighs out, looking defeated. "Oh, fine!"

"Yes!" I pump my fist in the air. _Victory, again!_

"I have an appointment with him tomorrow, anyway." she says begrudgingly. "You can come with me or something."

"Excellent." I pat her on the head and she swats my hand away. "Now let's get your stuff so you can organize my locker, okay?"

The next day at school, Casey and I do a pretty good job of avoiding Emily. We decide that it's best to keep a pacifistic sort of view on her until the prank is over. We don't see Truman at all. _Heh. _Lunch is filled with gossiping and staring people as are the hallways. It seems as if talk of our 'relationship' isn't going to die down for a while, which is _perfect_ news for our prank.

At end of the day, it's time for us to commence Operation: Prank Paul. I wait outside his office as Casey talks to him. I press my ear up against the door to listen to their conversation.

"Well, there's actually someone here with me today." I hear Casey say. "Uh, someone pretty important to me."

"Okay, well, go ahead. Bring them in, Casey!" Paul says enthusiastically, and I can't help but grin. This is going to be awesome. I peek through the door window, and Casey is gesturing for me to come in.

I open the door and saunter over to her, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Hey Paul." I say casually.

"Derek… Hi!" Paul says, clearly shocked. "I didn't expect to ever see the both of you in here together. This is quite the surprise! Have a seat, please."

I take a seat next to Casey in one of the bulky chairs in Paul's office.

"So, why are you here?" Paul asks, leaning forward and placing his elbows on his desk. I glance to my left. Casey still looks apprehensive about lying to Paul, so I decide to start talking first.

"We have some pretty big news for you, Paul. Casey thought you should know, since the whole student body is going to be talking about it anyway. She wanted to tell you personally, right, Case?" I nudge my stepsister and she puts on a fake grin.

"Right." she says, and then she reaches over and laces her fingers with mine. I feel my ears get a little hot. "See, Paul, Derek and I are… together now."

"No way!" Paul shouts, looking exuberant, nearly knocking over his coffee mug in excitement. "Finally! I mean, I'm so happy for you two!"

I try not to laugh at Casey's face as she sees Paul's enthusiastic reaction. "Wait… you _thought_ Derek and I were going to get together?"

"Well, yeah." Paul says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world, laughing. There's never been a session of ours where you didn't talk about him. You always go on and on about-"

"_Okay,_ that's enough chatter, Paul!" Casey says, her cheeks turning bright red. I'm holding back the biggest laugh ever. "We just wanted to stop by and let you know."

She stands up, taking me with her. "So, as you can see, a lot of my problems have been solved." she says, laughing nervously and swinging our clasped hands up so that Paul can see. "But I'll probably still stop by. You know. To visit. I'm sure I'll have non-Derek related problems." Annnnd the rambling never ends.

"Of course." Paul chuckles and waves goodbye as we make our way to the door. "Good luck, you two."

"You talked about me… all the time?" I ask as soon as we're out the door, raising my eyebrows. "Ha, I always knew you were obsessed with me!"

"Shut up, Derek!" she says, shaking her hand from mine. "I'm not _obsessed._ I had to go to Paul for you giving me problems, not because I had some stupid, girly, crush issue."

"I never said that." I say, winking and taking her hand back in mine. She glares at me, struggling to get away. "Come on, we can't be fighting! We're a couple who are supposed to be very much in love."

She groans and gives up as I pull her towards our locker. "Come on, Case. I have a surprise for you."

"I don't like surprises!" she whispers harshly. "What are you going to do?" she asks as I put my combination in and open our locker.

"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, now, would it? Now close your eyes and hold out your hand."

Her brow furrows as she tries to figure out what I might be doing. "No way."

"I won't hurt you, Case. I promise." She purses her lips and squeezes her eyes shut, holding her palm open.

I reach into our locker, pulling out a little wooden box from my jacket pocket and giving it to Casey. "Okay, open it." I say, and she squints open one eye to see what she's holding.

"What is it?" She pokes at the box, narrowing her eyes.

I roll my eyes. "Just open it!"

She obliges, cautiously lifting the lid of the box up. She gasps when she pulls out its contents, holding it in her line of vision. "Oh, Derek. No. This is yours." she says, pushing it back towards me.

"Well, it's yours now." I say, heat rising in my cheeks. "You know, you always wore that butterfly necklace Max gave you, so I figured…"

"Thanks." she says as my sentence trails off. "Will you…?" She stretches her hand out with my – now her – circle loop necklace, and I realize she wants me to fasten it for her as she holds up her hair.

"Sure." I say, my voice cracking a little. It's very possible for her to fasten it herself and then slide it over her neck easily, but I don't complain as I move around her and tie the strings together in a tight knot. My fingers brush the nape of her neck, and little goose bumps form on her skin before I face her again.

"There." I watch her run her fingers over the necklace, examining it with a small smile on her face.

"You never did this for any of your other girlfriends." she says suddenly, and I avoid her gaze.

"Well, you're… you're my _special _girlfriend, remember?" I say hastily, and she looks a little crestfallen.

"Right."

I breathe out and then wrap an arm around her shoulder. "Let's go home, Case."


	4. The 'Rents

_Chapter 3 – The 'Rents_

That weekend, Derek and I do a superb job of avoiding each other. I figure it's for the best. Feelings are getting harder and harder to keep in check when pretending to be his girlfriend, and being away from him gives me needed time to study. It's just… I never realized how much time I spent with him _before_ this whole prank, and now that I'm purposefully avoiding him, it becomes apparent that we hung out… a lot.

Family dinners are awkward to say the least. Friday and Saturday night are simple enough, a few insults (and vegetables) hurdled at my stepbrother across the table so that things seem normal. It's Sunday's dinner that throws us for a loop.

We're sitting at the table enjoying a lovely meal of steak, mashed potatoes, and peas courtesy of my mom when…

"Casey can you pass the… are you wearing _Derek's_ necklace?" Mom asks, her eyes squinting as she stares at my neck.

My face flushes in embarrassment, and my hand immediately shoots to my throat as I grab the loop necklace and glance at Derek in panic. I realize I'm not wearing a sweatshirt today, and so the necklace is completely exposed to public eyes.

"Oh, yeah. She asked me if she could have it, and I gave it to her." Derek says indifferently, shoving a large hunk of steak into his mouth and chewing vigorously, as if me borrowing jewelry from him is the most natural thing in the world.

George and Mom stare at me in shock, both of their mouths hanging open. I shrug, giving a small smile and stuffing a huge spoonful of mashed potatoes in my mouth so I don't have to talk.

"You two are actually getting along?" George asks, his food abandoned as he looks between me and Derek in shock.

"Since when do you give _anything_ to Casey besides shampoo in her shoes and spiders in her bed?" Edwin asks, staring at his brother in awe.

"It's such a hideous necklace, I got tired of wearing it every day, and I was going to pitch it until Casey asked if she could have it." Derek lies, food spraying from his mouth. I give him a disgusted look, and he hastily grabs a napkin. He dabs at his face a bit and swallows before saying, "she just wanted to do a favour to the environment and recycle or something. Why are you all acting like it's the apocalypse?"

I look down at my food and smash a few peas with my fork, suddenly not hungry at all. I glance back up and everyone is staring at me.

"What?" I ask, a little too harshly.

"I can't believe you would ever want to wear something that occupied Derek's neck in a previous life." Lizzie mumbles, averting her eyes from my gaze.

"Well, like Derek said, I didn't want to be wasteful. There are poor children in other countries who would give anything to have a necklace like this!" I say dramatically, and everyone looks at me like I'm crazy, including Derek.

"Whatever you say, Spacey!" Marti says, laughing and, fortunately, breaking the tension. George laughs as well and tickles Marti's stomach, and the matter is dropped. _Thank goodness._

Dinner ends, and I'm grateful that it's Edwin and Lizzie's job to do dishes. I run upstairs before anyone can make another comment on my necklace, but I feel an arm grip my wrist, and I stumble backwards into Derek's chest before I can make it to my room.

I turn around and look at him disapprovingly. "What do you want?"

"Nice going, Casey!" he hisses, his breath hot on my face. "You could have blown everything just now!"

"Oh, and it's _my_ fault you gave this necklace to me? I don't _have _to wear it, you know!" I grip the necklace and tug, undoing the loop Derek tied earlier that week. "Here, take it back!" I shove it towards him, but he shakes his head in protest.

"No! It's yours!" He hesitates before continuing. "I just… you should have known not to wear it to dinner!"

"Well excuse me for forgetting that a necklace could be potentially hazardous to our _prank."_ I cross my arms across my chest, not really sure why I'm putting up with all this and not storming off and leaving him.

"Yeah, well… I guess I could have reminded you to take it off."

"What?" I look at him, stunned. Is he _actually _admitting that something was partially his fault?

"Sorry." he says simply. His apology is sincere.

I roll my eyes and wrap my arms around him, drawing him close to me. "Me too."

He doesn't do anything with his hands at first, but then carefully places them just above my hips, making my skin tingle under his touch.

I close my eyes and breathe in his scent, surprisingly not nauseating considering it's _Derek_ and his hygiene is less than desirable. No, I quite like the way he smells.

"Case…" he hums against my head, slowly and gently. I draw back a little in anticipation…

"Family game night! Everyone downstairs!" We break apart instantly as Edwin trumps up the stairs to make his announcement. "We're playing charades!" he says excitedly before bounding back down the stairs again.

I sigh and start to make my way towards the living room before Derek catches my arm again.

"Want to be on my team, _babe_?" he asks, winking.

"Sure thing, _hun_." I respond, and then I swing my arm at him, holding out the necklace. "Will you?"

He fastens the necklace for me again and then slings an arm around my waist, half carrying me down the stairs. I laugh at our antics and soon we're falling down the stairs, pretending to be in a wrestling match so that our parents aren't suspicious.

Unfortunately, the bliss of the weekend cannot last long as Monday rolls around again and Derek and I have to keep up a very different game of charades. He walks me to all my classes like a gentleman, uncharacteristically like his normal dating-self. Talk of our 'relationship' _still_ hasn't died down, presumably because Derek can't keep a girl for more than half a day, _and_ because he is acting so chivalrous.

We manage to get through the first half of the week without many problems. Derek has lunch detention for the second half of lunch, so I don't have to deal with him for too long, thankfully. But Wednesday brings a whole _new_ set of issues.

Derek and I are standing at one of the stairwells after a senior assembly. The administrators have given us extra time to get to class so we are taking advantage of it, teasing each other and putting on a romantic spectacle for the rest of the students.

Derek tickles my sides, and I smack his hands away. "Okay, not even my boyfriend gets to do that!" I protest, avoiding his childlike advances. I spin out of his reach, giggling, until I see who's headed in our direction.

"Oh no! Truman is coming!" I say, looking down the hallway at the black-haired creep walking our way. "He's going to try and talk to me or something." I urgently look back at Derek. "Quick, kiss me!"

"What?"

"You heard me! Kiss me!" I say, and when he doesn't respond, I grab hold of his shirt, pulling him into me and forcing our lips together. He responds with such enthusiasm that I temporarily forget about the person I was trying to get rid of in the first place. He runs his hands up and down my back and then his lips leave my lips and go for my neck. I smile… until out of the corner of my eye I see another figure heading down the hallway towards us. Truman has long disappeared but-

"Derek! Derek!" I whisper, tapping repeatedly on his shoulder to get him to stop.

"Hmm?" he looks up, wondering why I interrupted him. He breaks from me quickly when he sees who is watching us.

"Uh, hello, Principal Lassiter, sir." he says, faking a grin. "How has your day been going?"

I want to slap a hand to my forehead, but I contain myself. Instead, I put on a cheesy smile like Derek's, looking nervously at our principal.

"It was fine… until I saw the two of you canoodling." he says without a hint of mercy. "Don't you remember what I said?"

"Not to let you see us making out?" Derek suggests. I can't help but roll my eyes.

"My office. Now." Lassiter points in the direction of his office, and I start to walk until I notice Derek isn't following me.

"But-" Derek tries to protest. I tug on his arm.

"Come _on, _Der." I say through gritted teeth. "You're only making things worse!"

"But every other couple in this school kisses! Why are we getting punished?"

"Trust me, it's not quite the same type of kissing. Now stop arguing, and get moving." Lassiter says, and I finally manage to pull Derek down the hall.

"And your parents will be joining us in this little session of ours."

Derek stops dead in his tracks and stares at me, pure fear on both of our faces. "Oh fu-"

* * *

Casey and I wait in Lassiter's office for our imminent doom. The 'rents were _never_ supposed to be a part of this pranking experience, and they could potentially ruin the whole thing. And even if they don't figure out this is a joke, we're going to have to _lie _to them about being together, which could result in lectures and rules and… Oh god. This is _not_ good.

"You okay?" Casey asks, placing a hand on my arm.

"Of _course _I'm not okay, Casey!" I say, trying to keep my cool, but obviously not doing a very good job. "They're going to freaking kill us. They're going to kill me!"

She opens her mouth to say something, but I never find out what it is as the door opens and our parents enter. She gives my arm quick squeeze and then hurriedly places her hands back in her lap as Lassiter takes a seat across from us, and Dad and Nora sit in chairs next to us.

Nora shoots her daughter a disappointed look and Casey looks down, biting her lip. I want to reach out and comfort her, but that would probably be the _least _appropriate thing to do right now.

"Sorry to call you out of work, Mr. and Mrs. Venturi, but I'm afraid this is Casey and Derek's second offense, and I don't know what else I can do to get through to them."

"What exactly did they do, Mr. Lassiter?" Nora speaks up, putting on that voice she has when she's nervous or in the presence of someone important. Casey does the same voice. "If they were causing a ruckus with their fighting, I apologize profusely. I know how loud they can-"

"On the contrary, Mrs. Venturi." Lassiter says, raising an eyebrow, looking confused for a moment. _Oh, crap. Here it comes._ "Casey and Derek were causing a ruckus for very opposite reasons."

My dad and Nora look at each other, thoroughly bewildered. _Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap!_

"I'm sorry, sir." This time it's my dad that speaks. "We don't seem to understand. Could you be more specific?"

_Ohhhhhhhhhhh crap! _"You mean you don't know about…" Lassiter trails off, looking between me and Casey. I shake my head subtly.

"Know about what, sir?" Nora asks, and her eyes turn to Casey and me as well. I take a leaf out of Casey's book and become very interested in my class ring.

"Well, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but…Your stepchildren seem to be… dating."

Nora and my dad look at each other and then burst into laughter. "Is this some kind of joke?" Dad asks between gasps of air. "Those two can't stand each other!"

"We can barely get them to stay in the same room together without fighting, let alone have them hold a normal conversation!" Nora clutches her side. _Oh boy._

"I'm sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Venturi, but this is not a gag." Lassiter says, and the 'rents become serious quickly. "Has it ever occurred to you that they might be putting on some sort of travesty at home because they didn't want to tell you about their relationship?"

"But-" Dad says, glancing once more at Casey and me.

"Hostility and anger are _far_ from what I've been seeing between the two of them in the past week." Lassiter says, cutting him off. "Fighting might have been a daily occurrence before, but all of this has changed recently. If your stepchildren _aren't_ dating, then they certainly are engaging in romantic behaviour."

"That would explain the whole necklace thing…" I hear Dad mumble under his breath.

Nora turns her head towards us in complete and utter shock. "Casey, Derek, is this true?"

I'm ready to give up this whole stupid prank. We were naïve to think that nothing bad was going to happen. We didn't think about what would happen if our parents ever found out, and this is so much more trouble than it's worth. Sure, I'll fail English class. Sure, I'll never get to kiss Casey again… but-

"Yes, Mom, it's true." Casey says, forcefully grabbing my hand in hers. "Derek and I are together now."

_Whoa, whoa, wait!_ I look at her, my jaw dropping. She gives me a determined look and nods slightly towards our parents who are apparently waiting for a response from me.

"Uh. Yeah. We are." I say, less than convincingly, but Casey's lie seems to have done the trick. _What kind of sick, messed up world is this?_

"Why didn't you tell us?" My dad asks, and I think he's addressing the question to me, but Casey answers anyway.

"We were scared… of your reactions. I mean, this isn't the most conventional relationship, is it?" She laughs lightly and Nora gives her a weary smile. "But we really do care about each other, and hope that you'll allow us a chance to be together." How is she saying all of this? How is she lying so… easily?

"We'll talk more when we get home." Nora says, patting Casey on the hand that's not holding mine.

"I'm so sorry about this, Mr. Lassiter." Dad says. "We'll make sure they're given a good talking to, and they'll never do anything like this again, right guys?" He shoots daggers in my direction.

Casey says, "of course" while I nod my head in agreement.

"Alright, thank you." Lassiter says as our parents exit the room, my dad still giving me the death glare. I gulp and Lassiter turns back to us.

"You two will receive afterschool detention for this." I give him an are-you-for-real look. "In _separate _rooms. And if I ever see you traversing the school hallways again doing anything other than holding hands, your next punishment will be suspension." I brighten a little at his words. Heh, I might kiss Casey in front of him on purpose so that we can get out of school! "_In _school." Lassiter adds, noticing my face. Oh, what the hell?

"Now get to class. Ms. Snatcher will write you both passes." He dismisses us, and I resolutely and clearly don't let go of Casey's hand as we head over to the secretary's desk.

"Where are you going?" Snatcher asks, undoubtedly not enthused to see us. God knows how many times I had her write a hall pass for me in the past.

"English." Casey and I answer at the same time, and then we look at each other, blushing.

"Wow, how adorable." Snatcher mumbles, rolling her eyes and turning away from us to write us a pass.

"Derek," Casey whispers, tugging on my arm. I bend down so that I can hear her.

"What's up?" I ask, concerned about the fearful tone in her voice.

"Mr. Riverson. We're going to Mr. Riverson's class." she says softly.

"Oh jeez."

* * *

**AN: Um, I love you guys so much. I promise to get back to each and every one of you who reviewed the last chapter. Thank you so much for your reviews. You have no idea how much they all mean to me. I hope you liked this chapter, and please let me know what you think! **


	5. The Lecture

**AN: I LOVE YOU GUYS. Seriously, my reviewers for this story are the BEST. I promise to get back to you all for the last chapter! Right now I have a class I need to get to, though. Haha. I hope you like this chapter! Please review if you have the time!**

* * *

_Chapter 4 – The Lecture_

"Alright. Today will be a workshop day where you can work on your project with your partner. I know for a fact _none_ of you have written your essays yet, even if your pranks have already played out, so let's get started."

The loud sound of chairs and desks scraping across the floor is heard in Mr. Riverson's class. I move my chair over to Derek's desk so we can share.

"Der, what are we going to do if he asks about our prank?" I whisper, and Derek grabs my chair and scoots me closer to him.

"Don't worry. We'll think of something." He pats my knee. He looks 100% better than he did in Mr. Lassister's office. He's no longer that odd greenish colour, and his demeanor is significantly more relaxed. I worry about him facing our parents at home, though.

I stare at his hand for a moment as he subconsciously rubs his thumb back and forth across my leg. My eyes get wide. "So, how about his essay?" I say nervously, shifting closer to the desk. _Big mistake._ His hand grazes my thigh, and little goose bumps form on my arm.

He quickly removes his hand and sets it on the desk. "Right. The essay. Um…"

"Who have we fooled so far?" I ask, attempting to stimulate a conversation to distract myself from the strange sensation I get whenever I'm close to Derek.

"Uh, Lassiter. Paul. Our best friends. The whole student body, practically. Our… our parents." His voice falters, and his face turns sickly pale again.

"Oh, Derek. Oh no." I rub his back and try to calm him down. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Really." he says, swallowing.

"Are you-"

"Derek, Casey, how is the project going?" Mr. Riverson walks over to our desk and takes a seat in an empty chair. Derek immediately straightens up in his presence, and I'm grateful for the interruption.

"Well, you see, Mr. R, we've been kind of distracted lately." Derek says, chuckling. My face turns bright red.

Mr. Riverson looks between us. "You know, I had hoped that partnering the pair of you up would help you set aside your differences, but I never thought it would have the effect it did."

"Well, thanks." Derek says inching over to me and wrapping a hand around my waist. I smile, leaning into his touch. "I owe you one, Mr. R." Derek winks.

"Alright, you two lovebirds." Mr. Riverson says, laughing lightly. "What sort of prank were you _planning?_"

"Um, you see-" I start.

"What if we plan on making you part of the prank?" Derek says, quickly intercepting my would-be lie. "I don't think we should tell you any of the details."

Mr. Riverson chuckles and shakes his head. "You _would_ find a way out of talking about your assignment, wouldn't you Derek?" He gets up and looks down at us. "Just remember, you only have a week left to do this, guys. Try not to get _too_ distracted while you're planning." He smiles and walks away from us onto the next group. "Oh, and remember what I said – no bringing any permanent damage to the school or students!" he adds, looking directly at Derek.

"I wouldn't dream of it!" Derek says. I let out a sigh of relief. Well, that wasn't _too_ horrible.

I eat my words when Truman scoots over to us, his chair making an obnoxious noise as it scrapes across the floor.

"What do _you_ want, Truman?" I ask, crossing my arms and narrowing my eyes.

"I'm onto you guys." he says, pointing back and forth at Derek and me.

"What are you talking about?" I say, trying to keep my cool as my heart beats wildly in my chest. If this _rat_ ruins everything-

"That little kiss in the hallway earlier – so fake. If you're trying to use Derek to get me to go away, it's not going to work, Casey."

My heart slows and I shake my head in awe of Truman's atrocious behaviour. So _that's_ what he thinks is going on…

"Bugger off, douche. I'm trying to plan this project with my _girlfriend_." Derek says defensively. "Don't you have a partner to get back to or something? You should probably be planning. God knows you could use a good mark on this project."

"Like _you _don't! You're probably only pretending to be Casey's boyfriend so she will get you a perfect mark on this. And I bet the making out is just a _great _added bonus. " Truman glares at Derek and he clenches his fist. Oh no. I put a hand on Derek's arm and whisper, "just let it go. He's not worth it."

"You're right." Derek says, looking at me tenderly. He pats my hand, and there's a weird fluttering sensation in my stomach before he turns his attention back to Truman. "You're not worth it." Then his tone borders on the edge of scary. "But if you _ever_ try to flirt or go near my girlfriend again, I will _not_ be taking it so easy on you."

"Yeesh." Truman says, scooting away. "Let me know when you're single again, Casey."

"Yeah , you'll be the _first_ person I go to if that happens." I say sarcastically. Truman smirks and turns back to his partner who looks thoroughly annoyed.

"Thanks, Der." I sigh, squeezing Derek's arm.

To my surprise he leans down and gives me a peck on the lips. "Of course, Case." he says as he pulls away, and suddenly I can't breathe.

"Was… was Truman still looking? " I ask, trying to find an explanation as to why he just kissed me.

"Uh, yeah." Derek says unconvincingly, drawing me closer to his side. I rest my head on his shoulder and try not to think about next week when I _will_ be single again, the assignment over and the prank being announced to the whole class and then the whole school and… My stomach twists in knots just thinking about it.

"Casey, I'm scared about the 'rents." Derek confesses, interrupting my thought process.

I look up at him, taken aback by this declaration. "It will be fine." I say soothingly, running my thumb back and forth across his arm. "They love us, Der. I mean, I'm sure we'll get a _really_ long lecture, but they… they wouldn't split us up or anything. I hope."

"Even if they do, we can still pretend at school." Derek adds, and I realize that I almost forgot this is a prank for a moment. "I'm just worried Dad is going to murder me. Like, take a sledgehammer to my head sort of murder. If he doesn't kill me with his lecture first, that is."

"Why would he-"

"I'm not the most responsible, Case. You know that." Derek says slowly. "He will definitely think that you deserve better than me. Which, you do. But if this is assignment is going to work, we have to act as if you would actually go for a guy like me, and that I care about you more than I've ever cared for any other girl."

The words sting at my chest. He really doesn't have a clue, does he? He doesn't know that I _want_ him to care about me more than he's ever cared for anyone before. He doesn't know that this prank is breaking one of Mr. Riverson's rules – harming a student – because it's harming _me_, breaking me apart quickly and harshly. He doesn't know how I wouldn't go for a guy _like_ him, but I would go for _him_.

* * *

I skip out on hockey practice so that Casey doesn't have to go home and face the 'rents alone. She sees me looking very uncomfortable as we head out the door to The Prince, so she offers to drive for me. I appreciatively accept, not knowing how I'm going to _live_ through the seven minute car ride home, let alone our little 'talk' with Dad and Nora.

In the car Casey steers with one hand and grasps my hand with the other. There's an unspoken understanding between us - that no matter what happens we'll be there for each other.

This is so stupid. So lame. We're going to get lectured and yelled at for a dumb _prank_. I try to tell myself that none of this is real, but it doesn't feel like that. It feels like Casey _is_ my girlfriend, and we are going to face on of the most difficult hurdles in our relationship.

If we weren't trying to trick our parents, I'd be running away… No. If it was any other _girl_, I'd be running away. But Casey is worth this. And so is that 'A' in English class…

We get out of the car, and Casey hurries to take my hand again before we enter the house.

As soon as we step through the door, we're immediately confronted by Dad and Nora like they were creepily waiting for us or something. I realize they want to get this done and over with before Lizzie, Edwin, and Marti get home. _Probably because they're going to be yelling!_

"You guys can take a seat on the couch." Nora says, not wasting any time with greeting us or anything. My feet are rooted to the ground. I don't move until Casey gently pulls me to the couch where I sink into the cushions, trying to hide.

"First of all, we're upset that you didn't come to us with this news _before_ we had to find it out from the principal." Dad starts, and my heart starts beating wildly in my chest._ Great, they're already mad._

"We don't know how this happened… or why. And we're trying to keep an open mind to this decision of yours, but you have to realize the gravity of this situation." Nora continues for him. She sounds less angry, and her words are a little more reassuring, but I still feel sick.

"Living under the same roof for so long… Well, it must be difficult to keep hormones intact." Dad adds.

"It has nothing to do with hormones." Casey whispers under her breath, and I feel her fingers squeeze mine tightly.

"What?" Dad asks, trying to decipher what Casey said.

"It has nothing to do with hormones!" she says loudly, and the 'rents are taken aback. "Sure, I find Derek extremely attractive, but that's not the reason why he's my boyfriend."

My face flushes red at her words, and my stomach does this weird flippy thing. _She finds me extremely attractive? Please don't let that be a lie…_

"Derek has… changed from the first few years I knew him. I like the person he's become. I like that he stands up for me and helps me and… cares about me. More than anyone." She gives me a sidewise glance, and my heart starts pounding even more. She turns her attention back to the 'rents, and I can breathe again. "He's complex and has a lot of layers, but if you're one of the people who are lucky enough to dig deeper and get to know him, he's sweet and passionate and… and _brilliant_."

Dad and Nora stare at each other for a while, their mouths hanging open in shock. I would be having the same reaction of them if I wasn't supposed to be pretending that I knew all of this… that I heard it before. They seem to be communicating nonverbally, their eyebrows moving up and down, and then Nora gestures to me with her head.

Dad turns back and looks at me. "Okay, well, we've heard Casey's side of the story, but what about you, son?"

Casey's grip on my hand instantly tightens, and I don't know if it's because she's nervous, or because she's trying to comfort me. _Maybe both._ I gulp, take a deep breath, and attempt to smile.

I don't know where my courage comes from, but I begin to speak, and then before I know it, I can't stop.

"Casey is… gorgeous and talented and smart and just… amazing, and I _know_ I don't deserve her. I know I don't! But I really care about her, and if she's willing to give me a chance, I don't want to let that opportunity go. She makes me a better person. I like who I am around her. She needs someone who takes care of her and appreciates her, and I do. I don't plan on breaking her heart." The words surprise even me. I realize I'm not making any of this up…

I'm pretty sure even Casey is staring at me in awe as I end my speech. "So, I'm asking you to please… please let us be together." I finish with a whisper and Casey lets go of my hand and wraps her arms around my waist. I draw her close to me, resting my chin on the top of her head. She starts shaking, and I realize – in horror – that she's crying. That means she's either one damn good actress or…

Dad and Nora start doing that creepy nonverbal communication again, and Dad nods. "Right. Well. Derek, Casey, you both seem genuine."

"And who are we to stop you from dating someone who you have real feelings for?" Nora says, gently smiling at us. Casey sniffs.

"That being said, we have a few ground rules that we need to lay down before you have free reign to do anything you please." Dad states, a little more sternly. _Oh great. Here we go._ "Your situation is very different from a normal teenage relationship, so… I'll state my rules, and," he addresses Nora, "feel free to jump in at any time to add some of your own."

He breathes in and starts. "No being in each other's rooms with the door closed. No being in each other's rooms _at all_ past eleven. No PDA in front of Marti, Lizzie, or Ed." He scrunches his nose in thought. "Or us." he adds.

"Who we will be talking to about this whole thing." Nora says quickly. "So you don't have to worry about that." She pauses. "Well, I think that's enough lecturing for the day. You two must be tired of it."

I nod my head vigorously in agreement, and Casey lets out a nervous giggle.

Dad sighs and rolls his eyes. "Okay, then. Go… do your homework or something." he says in defeat, and Casey and I leap up off the couch, running up the stairs to our respective rooms.

"Homework meaning exactly what it implies! Nothing else!" I hear Dad shout before I shut my door and collapse in my bed.

The rest of the evening goes fairly smoothly. The 'rents tell the sibs about Casey and me, and Marti nearly attacks me with enthusiasm when I come down for dinner. Thankfully, she doesn't say anything too embarrassing, having outgrown the 'when are you guys going to get married?' stage. Liz and Ed seem pretty excited about the whole thing as well. I hardly look up at Casey the entire time we're eating, and I avoid her after dinner too.

It's not until I leave my room to brush my teeth before bed that I run into her – literally – in the middle of the hallway. She's making her way back from the bathroom, clad in a plain t-shirt and pajama bottoms.

"Oh, uh… Sorry, Der." she says quietly, looking up at me in apprehension. Words seem to escape me, and I can't do anything but shrug, so she walks around me. _I'm an idiot._

"Case, wait!" I yell out, turning around to look at her.

Her eyebrows furrow as her eyes meet mine, obviously confused. "What is it?"

I make my way over to her. "Thanks." I whisper, pulling her into a one-armed hug. "What you said about me to Nora and Dad… that was really nice. Even if it was fake."

She turns into me and wraps her arms around me, burying her face into my chest. "It wasn't fake." she says, and I pull her into me, wanting to _cry_. I can hardly believe anyone would ever have anything so kind to say about me. My whole life is filled with 'you're-not-good-enoughs' and 'you-should-be-betters' that it takes me by surprise and fills me with this warm feeling. Sure, I get compliments about my looks, but Casey talked about something no one ever does unless they're insulting me or calling me charming – my personality.

"Thank _you_, Derek." she says after a while, pulling back to look me in the eyes.

"I wasn't lying, you know. About how, uh… great you are." I say softly, daring to speak the truth.

"I know." she says simply. "I could tell." She smiles, and at that moment I can't help but lean down and kiss her.

"Goodnight." I pull back and whisper against her cheek.

"Goodnight, Der."

She walks into her room. I stare at her retreating figure, smiling and not heading to the bathroom until she shuts the door.


	6. The Fight

**AN: I LOVE YOU GUYS. Seriously. I don't even know how to deal with the amazingness of my reviewers. Please keep the reviews coming! You all make my day! We're nearing the climax now… The project is due soon…**

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_Chapter 5 – The Fight_

We quickly settle into the routine of a normal couple. No longer do either of us have to say 'you should probably kiss me now,' or 'you should stop fighting with me!' It becomes natural, normal… In fact, a little more natural than it should be.

It's all long walks to classes and him carrying my books and tender kisses in the hallway… and not so tender kisses at home. I don't want it to end, so I push aside thoughts of our relationship being a prank and pretend that it is actually real.

I don't even _start _to write the essay, either, even though it is due very soon.

Derek and I are sitting together at lunch when the clock strikes twelve and he groans, getting up. "Well, I have to go serve my punishment for the whole bra incident. Bye, baby." He says, leaning down and giving me a kiss on the lips. I deepen the kiss and what should have been a peck goodbye turns into a really long… uh… farewell. He finally breaks from me, smiling. "I really have to go now or I'm going to be in even more trouble! Sorry, Case."

I blush as he places a hand to my cheek and kisses my forehead. "I'll see you later."

"Bye, Der." He strokes my cheek one last time and takes off, but turning around at the door to wave goodbye. I wave back and bite my lip, forcing back a smile.

"He really must love you." I jump as Sam places his tray down across from me and sits down.

"Oh, hi, Sam!" I say, blushing. "You saw all that?"

"Everyone in the cafeteria did."

"…oh."

"Hey, don't sweat it." Sam says, chuckling, presumably at my expression of extreme mortification. "At least Lasssiter wasn't in here. And I've never seen him happier in his life."

"Really?" I ask, perking up.

"Yeah. It's great. He's playing better at hockey. He's actually doing his schoolwork. And get this – he was singing in the locker room. _Singing_, Casey." Sam laughs and I join in.

"Wow," is the only thing I can manage to say.

"I'd say. You've changed him, Casey. For the better." Sam says. "Sure, he's still the same obnoxious Derek, but he's a better person with you. I'm really happy for you guys."

"Gee, thanks Sam." I say, smiling. "He… he makes me really happy too."

"I can tell."

After school Derek has practice again, so I head home on my own, trying to distract myself with an afternoon of TV. Soon Edwin and George join me in watching some show on the History Channel that I'm not even paying attention to. Marti comes in the living room too, situating herself in front of me with a fistful of markers and a blank piece of paper.

It's nearly 5:30 and I'm drifting off when I hear a familiar voice from behind me. "Hey, gorgeous!" Suddenly Derek is lunging over the couch to put an arm around my shoulders and kiss me on the cheek.

"Derek, can you please refrain from climbing on the furniture?" George asks, clearly not amused.

"Sorry, I'm just trying to get to my girl quicker!" Derek presses me into his side and my cheeks grow bright red.

"Are you two going to be all gross and couple-y now?" Edwin asks, crinkling his nose.

"Yes." Derek answers immediately and both Edwin and George groan.

"I'm going to my room." Edwin says, getting up from his spot on the floor and rushing towards the stairs.

"I'm going to go check on dinner with Nora." George gets out of Derek's chair and hurries to the kitchen.

Marti still sits there, a smile etched on her face, her markers abandoned at the coffee table. I give her a weak smile back. "What are you drawing, Marti?" I ask, trying to shake the feeling of butterflies in my stomach as Derek's hand teasingly makes its way from my shoulder to my waist.

"It's for my school art project." she says, her eyes not leaving Derek and me. "We're supposed to draw what we think love looks like, so I drew you and Smerek."

My eyes widen, and at that very moment, Derek's hand slides under my butt and gives me a squeeze. I yelp and Marti looks at us weirdly.

"Did Smerek hurt you?" she asks, her eyes narrowing. She crosses her arms and gives her older brother a small kick for good measure as he laughs.

"No, he didn't _hurt_ me." I say quickly, giving him a slight nudge in the ribs with my elbow.

"Geez, what's up with the abuse?" he jokes, resting his forehead against mine. "Sorry for startling you like that."

I forget that Marti is still watching us for a second as I stare into his chocolate eyes. "You're forgiven." I sigh, and then touch his cheek with my hand and give him a warm kiss on the lips.

_He _seems to entirely forget that Marti is even there, and he instantly goes back for another kiss as I pull away. I'm lost in his scent and taste as he playfully bites at my lip, and I throw my arms around his neck, causing us both to fall back against the cushions of the couch. It's only when his hand begins to cup my breast that I gasp and sit up, putting an end to our… activities. "Derek!_ Marti!_" I whisper harshly, but when I look round, the third grader is gone.

My face grows red again as he sits up, letting out an aggravated sound. "She left as soon as we started kissing." he says, raising his eyebrows at me.

"Oh." I say simply, and then occupy myself by braiding a strand of my hair, all the while avoiding my stepbrother's gaze.

"You are a really amazing kisser, you know that?" Derek asks, breaking the silence.

I look up at him in shock. "Seriously?" I inquire, dropping my hair and placing my hands on my knees. "You really think so?"

"Oh, definitely. Probably the best girl I've kissed so far." He winks at me and my heart starts racing. "I don't get that carried away for nothing, you know."

"Neither do I." I say slowly. Derek is the first guy to ever… touch me like that. I normally have very strict boundaries when it comes to my boyfriends, but Derek is different. He makes me go crazy, but for some reason I can't bring myself to think of this as a bad thing. I actually… really like it. I guess that makes sense, considering he is the exception to all rules.

"Well, since we're alone… we could try again?" I suggest, and Derek smirks.

"So, so smart." I lean into him but before I can kiss him he puts a hand on mine

"Wait a second, Casey." He breathes out. "I just wanted to tell you-" he starts.

"Dinner time!" Marti yells from the entrance to the kitchen, and I slide off of Derek's lap, looking at him intently.

"What did you want to tell me?"

"I should probably go help with setting the table." he says quickly, leaving me very confused and alone on the couch.

Later than night I stare at my computer screen and try to write _anything_, but my brain doesn't seem to be function correctly. Our assignment is due in two days, and I have been putting off writing the essay for as long as I can. My heart sinks in my chest as I realize this is all going to come to an end. The prank - this _dumb_ prank that messed up everything – will be revealed to the class and Derek and I will go back to fighting and supposedly hating each other.

Sure, I got a few more-than-fun make out sessions and a week and a half's worth of complete bliss with nothing short of the perfect boyfriend, but what good is that in the long run? Now my expectations are higher than ever, and I fear I'll never find someone who I like as much as Derek… who treats me as well as Derek treated me when we were 'going out.'

Things could be amazing if he could see me the way I see him. Most of our friends are happy for us, our parents have been accepting, even Lassiter has warmed up to us. But Derek would never admit that he might actually harbour feelings for me. He'll run off to the next blonde bimbo he sees.

Still… I figure I have one last night to be his girlfriend before reality comes crashing down on me, and I don't want to put it to waste.

I leave my computer and sneak over to Derek's room, pushing the door open softly so that no one will hear. He's laying in bed already, his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling.

I clear my throat, and he looks over at me in shock.

"Case, what're you-"

"Can I sleep here tonight? Please." I ask, interrupting him.

"Uh. Yeah, sure."

"What's wrong?" he asks, scooting over and making room for me in his bed. I slide in next to him, and he nervously watches me to see what my next move is – when there's no one watching us, it's hard to know what is part of the prank, it's hard to know exactly what to do.

"I just wanted to be with you." I say truthfully, not tiptoeing around the issue anymore. I do. I want to be with him, and maybe something will make him see that he wants to be with me too.

"Oh." he breathes out, and then he reaches out his arms, and I crawl into them, burying my face into his chest and holding onto him as tightly as I possibly can.

"Hey, C, I can't breathe." he squeaks out, and I loosen my grip on him. He chuckles. "I missed you too."

"Who says I missed you?" I ask, looking up at him and pouting.

"Stop being so cute and tempting while we're in a bed." he says, kissing my temple and ignoring my question. I sigh and settle into him, and soon the rhythm of his breaking indicates that he's asleep.

I don't fall asleep until much later, trying to soak in this moment and wishing there was some way we could stay like this.

* * *

"Derek, Casey!" I'm woken up by the sound of someone shouting my name, and then the blinds in my room are pulled open, and I squint my eyes, blinking furiously. "What the-"

A weight is lifted off my arm and I realize Casey is rolling out of bed. _My_ bed. And Nora is standing there looking at us. _Oh crud._

"Nothing happened, Mom! I swear!" Casey says holding up her hands in defense. "I was just… I mean… I wanted to spend the night with Derek. But not in that kind of way! We were just-"

"Casey, calm down!" Nora shouts over her rambling. "I _know_ nothing happened. It's okay."

"Oh. Alright." Casey plops back down on the bed looking relieved.

"But if you don't want George to know about this, I suggest you take dish duty tonight." She winks, and I try not to look too displeased. _Great_. Now she's going to hold this over our heads every time she wants us to do housework.

"That's fine." Casey says quickly. "Right, Der?"

"Uh, yeah."

Nora smiles. "Alright, well you two had better hurry or you're going to be late for school!"

That day at school Casey seems unusually quiet. She doesn't talk to me the whole car ride over, nor does she sit with me at lunch. I don't ask her what's wrong in fear of it being something I did, or maybe she's just embarrassed over the whole Nora situation and needs time to sort it out.

During lunch she chooses to talk to Emily and see if they can resolve their differences. When it's time for me to go to detention for the whole bra thing, I see her giving her best friend a hug in the hallway. I smile to myself, knowing that they couldn't have stayed mad at each other long and head to Mr. Riverson's classroom.

"Hey, Derek. Good to see you." Mr. Riverson says when I arrive. "I was going to let you off the hook today since you've been doing such a good job, and I feel like you've learned your lesson."

I can feel my face lighting up at his words. "Thanks, Mr. R. I don't think I'll be pranking Casey anytime in the near future unless I feel like being in the doghouse." I wink and Mr. Riverson chuckles.

"I hope you won't be pranking _anyone_ in the near future, but I guess Casey is the best I can ask for right now."

"You got that right!" I say enthusiastically. "Speaking of my girlfriend, I think I'm going to go find her and celebrate!" I head to the door shouting "thanks again Mr. R!" but then his words make me freeze for a moment.

"Don't forget about the essay for my class, Derek! I don't want Casey writing it by herself!"

"Yeah, yeah!" I only half hear his words, wave, and walk out the door, practically sprinting to find Casey. Now that she's made up with Emily, things couldn't be any more perfect. Hopefully she is over the Nora issue by now.

When I turn the corner, however, the sight before my eyes is _far_ from what I want to see. Truman is leaning against the lockers with a smug smirk on his face, his other hand reaching to grab Casey's waist.

"What the _hell _are you doing?" I yell, making my way down the hallway at warp speed.

They both turn towards me, Truman looking terrified and Casey looking relieved. Truman starts to back away but I get there quicker than he can escape, grabbing a fistful of his sweatshirt in my hand and making a fist.

"Derek, it's fine. Let's just go." Casey says. She gently pushes me away from Truman, and I let go of him but still don't let him run away. I can see tears welling up in Casey's eyes, and I'm not going to let this go so easily.

"What don't you understand about _stay away from my girlfriend?"_ I ask Truman furiously as Casey tries to block my path.

"They were all empty threats!" Truman protests, and his obnoxious, whiny voice just makes me want to hit him more. "I thought-"

"You thought what?" I ask, trying to sidestep Casey as she grabs my arm and stops me from lunging at Tru-scum. "That you could just kiss my girlfriend, and she wouldn't tell me about it? That she would fall madly in love with you and leave me? That I'm _not_ going to beat the living crap out of you right now?"

"Dude, chill!" Truman says, holding his hands up. He's backed up into a corner and there's no way he can run off now.

"How can I chill when you made Casey _cry_?" I ask incredulously. "Nobody hurts my girlfriend like that. _Nobody._"

"Derek, you're going to be expelled if you so much as throw a punch at Truman!" Casey says pleadingly. I look at her and see that tears are now streaming down her face. "Don't do this, please."

I lower my hands and she slips her arms around my neck, drawing me close to her. Truman just watches us in disgust, but I try not to pay attention to him. I hold Casey in my arms and let her cry.

"Can I… go now?" Truman asks skeptically, but he shuts up when I shoot him a glare over Casey's shoulder. She finally pulls away from me and wipes her tears with her hand.

"Thanks, D." she says softly, and then turns towards Truman. She takes a step forward and I wonder what the heck she could be possibly doing, but then I watch as her fist collides with his stomach and he keels over in pain, clutching the place where she hit him.

My jaw drops, and I laugh out loud. "Oh my god."

"You better not be telling anyone about how you got beat up by a _girl._" Casey says fiercely. "And for future reference, keep your hands off of me, or I _will_ report you to the administrators for sexual harassment."

She turns away from him and grabs my hand in her own, leading me away from Truman who is still holding his stomach tenderly.

"Case, that was _amazing!"_ I say once we're out of earshot. "You… I can't believe you did that!"

She shrugs nonchalantly, a small smile forming on her face.

And then an idea comes to me. "Hey, baby, you want to come watch my hockey practice this afternoon?" I ask her, intertwining her fingers with mine.

Her smile gets wider, but then her face quickly falls. "I would, but I have a lot of school work to do." She looks away from me. "The essay for Mr. Riverson's class is due tomorrow, remember?"

She lets go of my hand, and I suddenly feel cold.

The essay is due tomorrow. _The essay is due tomorrow._ The words echo in my head and feel sick to my stomach. I had suppressed the idea of not being with Casey, not wanting to think about it. Plus, it's way easier to ignore an issue rather than confront it. Sure, I knew it was going to happen, but it just now _hits me_ that she won't be my girlfriend after this stupid essay… after this stupid prank is over. _Great._

The one girl I actually really like a lot… And I'm going to lose her tomorrow.


	7. The Essay

**AN: The essay in this chapter was one of the first parts I wrote of this story. After that, everything just seemed to fall into place. I hope you guys like this chapter! Please don't forget to review if you have the time! I love your feedback!**

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_Chapter 6 - The Essay_

Derek and I are standing at the sink after dinner. He's washing the dishes, and I'm drying – our punishment for spending the night together and being caught by Mom. The rest of the family are in their respective rooms, leaving the chores to us. I can't concentrate on anything besides the essay I'll have to write later on. 500 to 800 words of complete and utter BS, and just like that Derek and I will be over with.

I'm not paying attention, and when Derek passes me a glass it slips out of my fingers and crashes to the floor, glass shattering everywhere.

"Oh no!" I yell, jumping backwards, only to have my foot land on a shard. "Ow!"

"Casey! Case, stay still!" Derek says, catching me by the arm as I bend down to examine my wound. "I have shoes on. You don't." I look down and see that he's wearing some thick slippers. My bare foot is already starting to bleed, and I wince in pain.

"Here." he says gently, taking a step towards me. Before I know it I'm being whisked off the ground, one of Derek's arms around my legs and the other around my waist. I loop my arms around his neck and hold on as he carries me to one of the island stools and sets me down tenderly.

"I'm going to get you some Neosporin and a band aid, okay?" he asks, and I nod. He grabs a napkin from the counter. "Just keep some pressure on it for now."

The next thing I know, he's rushing upstairs to find me a band aid. He reappears only a minute later with almost an entire first aid kit in his arms.

He puts neosporin on a cotton swab, dabs at my cut with it, and then sticks the band aid on before looking me in the eyes. "Are you okay, baby?" he asks, standing up and brushing my hair back from my eyes.

"I'll be fine." I say, looking away from his intense gaze. "Thanks."

"Yeah, of course." he says, and then he leans down and catches my lips with his. I pull back, my heart hurting way too much to let this continue.

"What's wrong?" Derek asks, concern in his voice. He puts a hand on my knee.

"Is anyone watching?" I inquire. He just stares at me.

"What-"

"Is anyone watching?" I say, more harshly this time.

He shakes his head no.

"Then there's no reason for you to do that." I say coldly. I gingerly slide off of the stool and go to get a broom from the closet.

"Case, wait. Let me do that." he says, stepping in front of me and getting to the closet faster than I ever could on this injured foot.

"You're hurt. I'll clean up the mess." He turns back towards me and grabs my elbow, directing me towards the stool once more.

I shake him off. "I'm going to go do homework then." I limp towards the stairs, and he tries to help me keep my balance, but I wriggle out of his grasp.

"I am fine on my own!" I whip my head around and yell at him. I realize how much weight those words carry. I'm not just talking about my walk up the stairs. Tears start to form in my eyes.

"Casey…" Derek starts.

"I'll be in my room if you need me." I say softly, and then turn towards the stairs and run up to my room, collapsing in my desk chair and taking deep breathes.

_I'm fine on my own._ I try to convince myself that this is true.

I sit in front of my laptop for half an hour before I hear the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. _Derek._ I try to swallow the lump forming in my throat.

He quietly knocks on the door. "Come in." I say reluctantly.

Derek comes in and cautiously sits in my desk chair, barely approaching my bed. I can tell he's unwilling to come near me after I yelled at him…

"How are you?" he asks, his fingers running along the bottom of my comforter, his eyes never finding mine.

"I'm fine." I lie, watching his hands.

"Your foot okay?"

"Yep."

"Are _you_ okay?"

"I can't write this essay."

He looks up, finally, his eyebrows furrowed. I give him a serious look, and he attempts a smile.

"Sure you can!" He practically leaps across my bed to take a seat next to me. "See, look. Fingers go on the keyboard, and then you press down on all the little letters to form words!" He demonstrates typing on my laptop, and I pull it away from him angrily.

"I can't do it." I say forcefully. He's being _real_ jerk, trying to turn this situation into something humourous.

He sighs. "You are top of our class, of course you can do it!"

I've reached my breaking point, my hands shaking as I close my laptop and slam it down on the bed.

"Don't you get it, Der? This isn't a prank anymore! Not to me, anyway." I look at him and take a deep breath, letting myself tell the truth. I'm sick of this pranks and how much it hurts. Nothing is holding me back anymore.

"I like you. A lot. I… I've fallen for you. There, I said it! And this whole 'pranking' business is a lie. This essay would be a lie if I wrote it, and frankly, I'm tired of lies! I'm tired of lying to myself, telling myself that I don't like you! I'm tired of lying to everyone, _knowing_ that we're going to be over in a few days." I irritably brush away a few tears that have escaped from my eyes. "I don't want to be over. I don't… If you want an essay about how we pranked everyone into thinking we're together, write it yourself! Because our… relationship was just too real to me."

Derek looks at me with wide eyes. I see them start to glisten, and I reach for his hand but he pulls away, getting off my bed and leaving my room.

* * *

I sit in my bed staring at the ceiling. I'm stupid. I'm so, so stupid. Why didn't I say anything back to her? Everything that came out of her mouth… it was true, and I felt the exact same way. If it wasn't for the essay, would I have said anything still? No… Because I'm a coward.

Being with Casey for real scares me. She could break my heart. Hell, this whole prank is kind of already doing that. I don't deserve her. She's way too good for me. And once she realizes that – once she sees that there are so many guys that are better than me – she would dump my ass faster than you can say 'English class.'

I thought it would be fun to be her fake boyfriend for a while, because I really like her. But I started caring too much. I wanted to be her boyfriend. I _want_ to be her boyfriend.

"UGH!" I let out a frustrated groan and throw my hands up in the air. My computer is sitting on my desk staring at me, waiting for me to write the essay that will end the best relationship I've ever had.

I get up and sit down in my desk chair, and then proceed to open a word document, knowing that if I _don't_ do anything, I am going to fail English class for sure, which just isn't an option.

_For this project, Casey and I decided to prank the whole student body by pretending we were boyfriend and girlfriend. Funny, huh? Ha, we really got you guys good! _

I pound down on the keyboard in aggravation and bang my head on my desk a few times. You know, just for fun. That's when I hear a knock on my door, and I look up in desperation, hoping that Casey might be coming to help me.

"Come in!" I squeak out, and to my surprise, Lizzie walks in the room.

She closes the door and gives me a disapproving glare, crossing her arms. "I heard your fight with Casey."

_Oh man…_

"You – you know it was all a prank? Did anyone else hear?" I gulp. There's no way I want Marti or the rents to find out this way…

"Yes, I heard all about the prank, and no one else knows, thank goodness." she says harshly.

I let out a sigh of relief, but Lizzie is still standing there, her eyes narrowed, apparently waiting for me to say something.

"What?"

In one swift move, Lizzie is across the room, thrusting her fist into my shoulder.

"Ow!" I say, retreating. "What was that for?"

"Casey just poured her heart out to you, and you're just going to sit there and at like nothing happened?" she yells, aiming another punch for my arm, but I swivel out of the way in my desk chair.

"Okay, enough with the violence!" I rub the spot on my arm where she struck. "Geez. I get it. I'm the crappiest boyfriend ever."

Lizzie rolls her eyes and takes a seat on my bed, lowering her fists. "You're not a crappy boyfriend, Derek. In fact, you're the best boyfriend Casey's ever had. She's _happy_ when she's with you."

My heart leaps in my chest at my younger stepsister's words, but then I'm thinking about how many guys are _better_ than I could ever be. "What happens when she finds someone she's happier with?" I challenge her. "I'll never be good enough, and I never have been good enough in the past."

Lizzie frowns. "What are you talking about, Derek?"

"Never mind." I mumble. No way am I going to spill my _feelings_ to a girl in grade seven who just so happens to be the sister of the girl I like. She'll probably try to give me some kind of teeny bopper advice and then go report back to Casey exactly what I said.

"Come on!" Lizzie grumbles. "You can't keep bottling up these feelings inside! I swear I won't tell Casey. I'm just trying to help."

I want to tell, but I can't. This is so much harder than it seems. "I'm not telling you anything."

Lizzie raises her fist again. "Seriously? You're going to threaten to beat me up?" I ask incredulously. Okay, so she's only thirteen, but those punches of hers kind of really hurt.

"Yep! And I'm a girl. So you can't do anything about it!" She gets up and moves menacingly towards me.

"I'm not smart enough!" I yell out, and she steps back in shock. "I'm not brilliant or nice or talented. I'm just… me. And Casey can do so much better, and she _will_ do so much better. Why would I purposefully set myself up for heartbreak?" I take a deep breath and continue more calmly. "I like her, Liz. I like her so much that it hurts. But it would hurt more if we actually did go out and she were to dump me."

Lizzie takes a step towards me, and I close my eyes, bracing myself for another punch, but all she does is sigh and place a reassuring hand on my back. I squint one eye open to look at her. "Don't you get it? She doesn't want anyone else." she says, giving me a small smile.  
"It doesn't matter if some neurosurgeon or politician comes along. She likes _you,_ Derek. She has for a long time. I'm sure she's just as worried about you breaking her heart." My stomach churns. I would never… But then again, I just hurt Casey's feelings. _Shoot._

"But you have to think about how much you like her." Lizzie continues. "Don't you think it will all be worth the risk? Couples who are meant to be work out their problems and get through their fights." She lowers her voice and smirks. "And don't tell Casey I told you this, but I can guarantee you that she would never leave you for someone else. She likes you way too much, and she thinks you're the hottest guy she's ever met."

I raise my eyebrows and give a small laugh. "How do you know that?"

"I stole her diary and read it." Lizzie says nonchalantly, shrugging it off. I shake my head. Sometimes I think that girl is sneakier than I am. She removes her hand from my back and walks towards the door. "Don't blow it." She turns back, looking me in the eyes with an intensity I had never seen in her before.

"What about the essay?" I ask her before she can leave "If I don't write this essay about our so called 'prank' then I'm going to fail English class."

"You'll figure something out." Lizzie says confidently, nodding. "You aren't book smart, but you _are_ clever, Derek." And with that, she steps out of the room and closes the door behind her.

I look at the computer screen, then the keyboard, and press firmly on the 'backspace' key.

The next day at school I somehow manage to steer clear of Casey before English class. Sam asks me if we had a fight, and I realize that before this point, we've been inseparable. It must look really strange for us to be apart.

"You'd better fix things, dude." Sam says, shaking his head. "She's the best thing that's ever happened to you, and I'm not going to let you mess this up."

"I don't know whether to be happy that you support our relationship, or freaked out that it means so much to you." I say, carefully taking the essay out of my bag and slipping it into my English textbook. "I don't know if I can ever make it up to her, but I'm going to try."

Mr. Riverson's class approaches quickly, and everyone is buzzing with anticipation. Some partners have already revealed their pranks while others haven't. I bet everyone is just going out of their _minds_ wondering what Casey and I did…

Mr. R asks who wants to read their essay first, and I gulp when no one raises their hand.

"I will!" My voice cracks as I get up, avoiding Casey's gaze before taking my place at the front of the class.

"Thanks for volunteering, Derek." Mr. Riverson says. "Does Casey want to join you at-"

"No, that's okay." I say, quickly, cutting him off. "I… I'm just going to read the whole thing."

I take a deep breath and start.

"According to Wikipedia, a teenager's most trusted website, a prank is a mischievous trick played on a person, especially one that causes the victim or victim to experience embarrassment, indignity, or discomfort. Some of you guys took the physical route, rewiring the water fountains to squirt people in their crotches," Tinker and his partner high five, "or putting green dye in all the cafeteria milk cartons. Others tried manipulating you with words. Pierce told us he was moving away and devastated the whole student body, only to declare that it was just a joke. Emily and Maria took over the morning announcements, leading us all to believe that it really was snowing outside – which was awesome, by the way!" Emily gives a smile. "But Casey and I… Casey and I decided to do a bit of both.

"For the past two weeks, you might have noticed a big change in our relationship. As you all know, normally my stepsister and I can't stand each other. We're always at each other's throats, fighting and carrying on about how much we annoy each other. We figured it would take a miracle to convince everyone that we could get along. Or a really good prank. Well… Casey and me… getting together – that was supposed to be our prank." There are audible gasps throughout the room, and a lot of 'oh my god's.'

I stare fixedly at my paper and not at the class, my hands shaking as I continue. "But… the reason I say 'supposed' is because, as the prank went on… our act became more and more real. We managed to convince Principal Lassiter, Paul, the guidance counselor, and even our parents that we were together, but what we didn't realize was that we were also convincing ourselves. We weren't really pranking all of you or our family and friends, because us… liking each other… we weren't faking that.

"So you and Mr. Riverson must be thinking – there's no way Casey and Derek are going to pass this project now, but the fact is - we pranked ourselves. We tricked ourselves into loving each other. The acting like we were in love, the amount of time we spent together, and all that touching… in some twisted way, it got us to experience and see our real feelings. The victims – ourselves – definitely experienced embarrassment. Lassiter found us making out twice, and the second time our _parents_ were called to the office, only to find out we had been together behind their backs.

"There was a certain amount of indignity, shame for feeling this way, shame for falling deeper and deeper into our own plot. And last but not least – discomfort – I know for sure I felt uncomfortable thinking about how we were going to act around each other once this assignment was over. I felt uncomfortable thinking about breaking up with Casey after everything was said and done… because, truthfully, she's the best thing that's ever happened to me. And even though it took some stupid prank for me to figure it out – I want to be with you, Casey. I don't want this to end, and I don't want you to think I'm pretending anymore."

I look up and find Casey among the rest of the class. She has tears in her eyes and she's biting back a smile. My heart beats as I finish reading the last sentence.

"I love you."


	8. Epilogue

_Epilogue_

"I love you."

_I love you._ The words that are meant for me echo in my brain as I watch Derek stare deliberately into my eyes. My vision gets blurry, and a tear slips down my cheek.

I honestly can't tell you what the rest of the class are doing. All I can see, hear, _think about _is Derek. There is a ringing silence in the room, and at that moment I realize everyone must be waiting for my response, but for some reason I can't bring my lips to even open.

I'm still watching Derek, and he seems to be shaking with nervousness. He takes a deep breath and totters slightly to the side. I barely hear Mr. Riverson ask, "are you okay, Derek?" because the only noise I can really hear is buzzing and _I love you _echoing over and over again in my mind.

If I don't say something soon then I know Derek will probably die of shame…

But all I can squeak out is a timid "I-" before Derek's eyes roll back into his head and he falls to the ground with a loud THUMP.

This seems to jolt me out of my strange state. A few girls scream, and I hear Truman give an obnoxious laugh. I jolt out of my seat and rush to the front of the class, gently lifting Derek's head into my lap. As much as I would love to punch Truman again, _this time in a place that would be far more painful and hopefully render him unable to have children,_ Derek's safety is my top priority at the moment.

"Someone go run and get the nurse!" Mr. Riverson yells, and Emily rushes from her seat to the door quickly. I give her a grateful look and turn back to Derek.

I brush his hair away from his eyes and will myself not to cry. It's my fault he's passed out and lying on the ground… If I would have just said something…

He stirs a little, groaning, his eyes flickering open. He tries to sit up but falls back down into my lap again. I can only imagine how dizzy he must be.

"Derek, you need to stay still. Emily ran to get Nurse Jackie." Mr. Richardson explains, crouching down so that Derek can see him. "Just relax until she gets here."

Derek blinks and looks up, seeing me for the first time. As soon as he realizes whose lap his head is currently occupying, his face turns bright red.

"Casey-"

"Shh…" I say, putting a finger to his lips. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything. It's just… wow."

I smile widely at him and grab his hand. The rest of the class has gathered around him by now. Some people have their phones out. They are no doubt taking pictures or video. _Oh brother._

"You just took me by surprise." I whisper, and I hear Maria shout "speak up!"

I look up, glaring. "This is a pretty personal moment, you know!" I yell. Some kids shut their phones. A few others just shrug.

I roll my eyes and look back down at Derek, running my thumb along his hand. "But I love you too." I admit, and his face breaks out in the most genuine smile I've ever seen from him.

I lean down, and some girls sigh. Truman's cheeks bulge. Mr. Riverson averts his eyes.

Derek stops me before I can kiss him. "Case, Mr. Lassiter's rules and everyone is watching and-"

"That never stopped us before." I say, closing the gap between our lips. Even though our other kisses felt real, none of them compare to this one. For the first time there are no prior or afterthoughts about how this is a prank and how this will end in heartbreak. And, frankly, that feels _amazing._

I pull back and grin, biting my lip. It's only then that I realize Nurse Jackie is in the room, and she's holding her phone out, recording the whole thing as well. Derek groans.

"This is going to be _all_ over youtube."

* * *

"Der-ek!"

Casey chases me around our living room. It's one of those rare occasions where we have the house to ourselves, everyone else having gone to Marti's tap recital; we 'volunteer' to stay behind and do the dishes… which… Well, let's just say there is still a pile of plates waiting for us to clean.

She maneuvers around the couch, and I leap on top of it, running across it and jumping out of her way. She manages to corner me, though, but I hold what she wants above her head, just out of her reach.

"Der, give it back." she says patiently, reaching her arm up and jumping to try and get it. I just move my arm further back.

"Nuh uh. You have to work for it." I say, winking at her.

She merely smirks and presses herself flush against my chest, still reaching her hand into the air. She looks up at me, raising her eyebrows.

"Is this working?" she purrs out, making the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. Her other hand traces down my chest.

"_I'd say." _I think to myself, but I just shake my head. "Work harder." I somehow manage to choke out.

"Fine." She tangles her hand in my hair and pulls my head down to hers, pressing her lips against mine. All thoughts of anything besides Casey leave my mind and I instinctively wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her closer to me. She bites my lip and then slides her hand down my arm. Before I realize what she's doing, she snatches the item from my hand forcefully and breaks away from our kiss.

"Gotcha!" she says, waving her orange bra in front of my face. I look in her in shock before furrowing my eyebrows.

I try to snatch it back from her but she moves it out of the way. "No fair! You cheated!" I say, crossing my arms and pouting at her.

"Aw, poor Derek." She sticks out her bottom lip, mocking me. "But I'm pretty sure my sexual charms are not methods of cheating. I was merely using my resources."

"Uh huh." I say in disbelief. "Since when does Casey McDonald have _sexual charms?" _

She rolls her eyes before sauntering over to me and placing a hand on my chest. "I don't know… Why don't you tell _me?" _

"You are getting way too good at manipulating me, you know that?" I ask her, looping my arms around her waist. "I thought I was supposed to be the one wearing the pants in this relationship."

"Well, you _were _the one who unhooked my bra and took off with it." She looks at me, reprimanding, but I can see the amusement behind her reproachful glare.

"Eh, what can I say?" I shrug, and she purses her lips.

"I have to admit, that did take a certain amount of skill. How _did _you do that, anyway?" she asks, cocking an eyebrow.

"Well, I mean, I could show you again if you put it back on." I smirk at her, and she hits my chest playfully.

"Der!" Her bra is still in the hand she hits me with, and I can't help but laugh. "You just _had_ to do that when things were getting really… good, didn't you?"

"I was just trying to bring back some excellent memories of the day I played that life-changing prank." I say, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

"Mmm, yes, excellent memories." She looks up at me for a moment, and I can tell that she's recalling the incident in her mind, her eyes lighting up. "Stealing my bras must just be some weird fetish of yours."

She presses a quick kiss to my lips before continuing. "But I really should put this back on, and we really should finish the dishes."

"Always the good girl." I sigh, dropping my hands to my sides.

"Oh, hush. We'll get them done quickly, and then we can resume our… prior activities." She gives me one last kiss before hurrying off to the bathroom to put her bra back on.

I smile while watching her run up the stairs before I head to the kitchen and start the dishes. It's been a month since I confessed my feelings to Casey. To say that things have been amazing since then would be an understatement. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me. All creeping doubts of me not being good enough for her left my mind when she told me she loved me back.

I start to watch the dishes, unable to wipe the stupid grin from my face, especially when I hear a pair of footsteps approaching me from behind. I look over my shoulder and Casey flashes a smile that rivals mine.

"What are you thinking about?" she asks, rubbing my back as I continue to wash one of the plates.

"You." I say, and she laughs, kissing my shoulder.

"Don't say such adorable things when we're supposed to be doing the dishes. You're distracting me from the task at hand."

"I'm just telling the truth!" I say innocently, handing her the plate so she can dry it.

"Okay, so… what about me?" she asks, cocking her head to the side to look at me as she grabs a dish towel.

I take a deep breath. "How beautiful you are. How lucky I am. How much I love you." I glance at her. "How cheesy you make me."

She lets out a small giggle. "Hey, don't blame me for that, Romeo. I didn't _make_ you romantic. You choose to act that way on your own."

"Did you see me acting like this with any of my _other_ girlfriends?" I ask her, and she shakes her head slightly. Her hand reaches to touch her necklace – the one I gave her. "See, it's your fault I'm a big sap and not a manly man anymore."

She sighs and leans her head against my shoulder. "Sorry I degraded your masculinity."

"I shouldn't complain. Not when I have you." I say, and I watch her smile before a comfortable silence falls between us as we continue to wash and dry dishes.

"Want to know what I'm thinking about?" Casey asks when we're finished.

"What?"

"That moment after you read your essay."

My cheeks turn red at the memory. "Not cool." I mumble.

"Aw, but, baby..." she starts, taking my face in her hands. "It was really cute."

"To you."

"To everyone but you. So stop being so embarrassed about it." She steps closer to me. "Plus, if it wasn't for that fainting spell, our first real kiss wouldn't be a documented moment in history!"

"Still…"

"I know how to make you feel better."

She presses her lips to mine and snakes her arms around my neck. I deepen the kiss and slip my hands under her shirt for the second time that day, my flesh burning against hers.

You would think that after Mr. Riverson's assignment I would swear off pranks for the rest of my life, but there are some things that never change, including my love for the rise I get out of my stepsister/girlfriend when she's the victim of my jokes. I can't help but unlatch her bra again. _It's her fault for not keeping her defenses up the second time! _

The rents find us wrestling on the living room floor when they get home.

They know by now not to ask questions.

* * *

**AN: I really can't thank you all enough for sticking through this whole story with me! All of your reviews totally made me want to write faster and inspired me so much. I can't believe how many people liked this story. I'm truly flattered! If you want more Dasey, I have a few other stories going right now that I would love for you all to check out! Thanks again, and please let me know what you thought of the last chapter. It makes me sad that this is over, but it was such a great ride with you!**


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